2014 World Cup final attracted 1.01 billion viewers, FIFA says

Germany beat Argentina 1-0 in the 2014 World Cup final.

More than one billion people watched the 2014 World Cup final, according to FIFA figures published on Wednesday.

A total of 1.013 billion saw at least one minute of Germany's 1-0 win over Argentina in extra time at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, research by world football's governing body and Kantar Media says.

Television audiences at home and people watching in public spaces are counted, but not online viewers and mobile phone users.

FIFA reported a seven percent rise in a TV rating that is often seen as the broadcasting industry's most accurate.

The 2014 final had an "average in-home global audience" of 570.1 million. It was 530.9 million for the 2010 World Cup final.

Germany's 7-1 rout of hosts Brazil in the semifinals got an in-home average audience of 390.2 million viewers.

The average in-home audience across each live match was 186.7 million, FIFA said. In total, 57 of the 64 matches topped 100 million viewers.

FIFA claimed that 3.2 billion people watched at least one minute of a match. The total was the same in 2010 due mainly to the time zone.

"The Asian market observed a decline in audience reach due to the less favourable kickoff times," FIFA said.

FIFA reported record viewing figures in the United States.

The ESPN broadcast of United States' 2-2 draw with Portugal got an average audience of 18.2 million, and a 10.4 million average for Univision coverage of Mexico's last-16 loss to Netherlands was the most-watched Spanish-language programme ever.

More than 105 million American residents watched at least 20 minutes of a match, FIFA claimed.